US20130259533A1 - Toner bottle, supply unit, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents
Toner bottle, supply unit, and image forming apparatus Download PDFInfo
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- US20130259533A1 US20130259533A1 US13/842,748 US201313842748A US2013259533A1 US 20130259533 A1 US20130259533 A1 US 20130259533A1 US 201313842748 A US201313842748 A US 201313842748A US 2013259533 A1 US2013259533 A1 US 2013259533A1
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- Prior art keywords
- shutter
- toner
- toner bottle
- outer peripheral
- supply
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Classifications
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- G03G15/0834—
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G15/00—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern
- G03G15/06—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for developing
- G03G15/08—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for developing using a solid developer, e.g. powder developer
- G03G15/0822—Arrangements for preparing, mixing, supplying or dispensing developer
- G03G15/0865—Arrangements for supplying new developer
- G03G15/0867—Arrangements for supplying new developer cylindrical developer cartridges, e.g. toner bottles for the developer replenishing opening
- G03G15/0868—Toner cartridges fulfilling a continuous function within the electrographic apparatus during the use of the supplied developer material, e.g. toner discharge on demand, storing residual toner, acting as an active closure for the developer replenishing opening
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- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G15/00—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern
- G03G15/06—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for developing
- G03G15/08—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for developing using a solid developer, e.g. powder developer
- G03G15/0822—Arrangements for preparing, mixing, supplying or dispensing developer
- G03G15/0865—Arrangements for supplying new developer
- G03G15/0867—Arrangements for supplying new developer cylindrical developer cartridges, e.g. toner bottles for the developer replenishing opening
- G03G15/087—Developer cartridges having a longitudinal rotational axis, around which at least one part is rotated when mounting or using the cartridge
- G03G15/0872—Developer cartridges having a longitudinal rotational axis, around which at least one part is rotated when mounting or using the cartridge the developer cartridges being generally horizontally mounted parallel to its longitudinal rotational axis
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- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G15/00—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern
- G03G15/06—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for developing
- G03G15/08—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for developing using a solid developer, e.g. powder developer
- G03G15/0822—Arrangements for preparing, mixing, supplying or dispensing developer
- G03G15/0877—Arrangements for metering and dispensing developer from a developer cartridge into the development unit
- G03G15/0881—Sealing of developer cartridges
- G03G15/0886—Sealing of developer cartridges by mechanical means, e.g. shutter, plug
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a toner bottle, a supply unit, and an image forming apparatus.
- a technique of sealing toner in a toner supply container by covering an opening with a container shutter has conventionally been known (for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-323082 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-102133).
- the guiding members are provided on both ends of the container shutter, which moves in an outer peripheral direction of the toner supply container.
- the engaging portion that locks the container shutter is attached to each of the guiding members.
- both ends of the container shutter are locked by the engaging portions.
- An object of the present invention is to provide a toner bottle, a supply unit, and an image forming apparatus that can favorably supply toner.
- An embodiment of the present invention for solving the problem described above is a toner bottle capable of storing toner in a main body, including: a first shutter configured to cover a first supply port formed in an outer peripheral surface of the main body, the first shutter being movable in an outer peripheral direction along the outer peripheral surface of the main body; a pair of guiding members respectively formed on both ends of the first shutter, and configured to guide the first shutter in the outer peripheral direction; and a lock mechanism configured to fix the first shutter to achieve a closed sate of the first supply port.
- the lock mechanism includes a protrusion provided to the first shutter, the protrusion being capable of engaging with a recess formed in the outer peripheral surface. Fixing by the lock mechanism is released when the protrusion elastically deforms and is disengaged from the recess.
- the protrusion, the recess, and the first supply port are disposed along a virtual curve between the pair of guiding members.
- a supply unit configured to supply toner to a developing unit, including: the toner bottle; and a sub-hopper configured to temporarily store the toner supplied from the toner bottle, and supply the toner to the developing unit.
- the sub-hopper includes: a supporter configured to support the toner bottle; a storage unit configured to store the toner supplied from the toner bottle supported by the supporter through a second supply port; and a second shutter configured to cover the second supply port formed in the storage unit.
- a still another embodiment of the present invention is an image forming apparatus including: the supply unit; an image carrier; and the developing unit configured to develop an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier.
- FIG. 1 is a front view showing an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view showing a configuration of a supply unit according to an embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 3 is a skeleton diagram of a power transmission system in a toner bottle drive unit according to an embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 4 is a front perspective view showing configuration of a toner bottle and a sub-hopper according to an embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view showing a configuration of the toner bottle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a shutter of the toner bottle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of the shutter of the toner bottle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 8 is a front view showing a configuration of the toner bottle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 9 is a front view showing a configuration of the toner bottle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 10 is a front view showing a configuration of a seal unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration of the seal unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 12 is a front view showing a configuration around a lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 1 is a front view showing an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- the image forming apparatus 1 is used as, for example, a multi-function machine integrally incorporating copy, printing, and fax capabilities, and prints a monochrome image or a color image by electrophotography.
- the image forming apparatus 1 mainly includes a printer unit 10 , a sheet feeder 30 , a fixing unit 40 , a discharge unit 50 , a scanner 55 , a display unit 56 , and a controller 90 .
- FIG. 1 and the drawings thereafter are provided, as appropriate, with an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system in which a Z axis direction is a vertical direction and an XY plane is a horizontal surface, to clarify the directional relationship in the drawings.
- the printer unit 10 prints a monochrome or color image on a recording medium P supplied through a sheet feed path R 1 and a conveyance path Ra.
- the printer unit 10 mainly includes image forming units 11 ( 11 Y, 11 M, 11 C, and 11 K), exposure scanners 20 ( 20 Y, 20 M, 20 C and 20 K), and an intermediate transfer belt 21 .
- each of the image forming units 11 mainly includes a photoreceptor drum 13 ( 13 Y, 13 M, 13 C, and 13 K), a charger 14 ( 14 Y, 14 M, 14 C, and 14 K), a developing unit 17 ( 17 Y, 17 M, 17 C, and 17 K), a primary transfer roller 18 ( 18 Y, 18 M, 18 C, and 18 K), a drum cleaner 19 ( 19 Y, 19 M, 19 C, and 19 K), and the exposure scanner 20 ( 20 Y, 20 M, 20 C and 20 K).
- the printer unit 10 of the embodiment is of a so-called tandem type, and along the intermediate transfer belt 21 , the image forming units 11 ( 11 Y, 11 M, 11 C, and 11 K) are arranged in the order of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) from the left side to the right side of FIG. 1 .
- the image forming units 11 Y, 11 M, 11 C, and 11 K have the same hardware configuration.
- the image forming unit 11 Y, and the photoreceptor drum 13 Y, the charger 14 Y, the developing unit 17 Y, the primary transfer roller 18 Y, the drum cleaner 19 Y, and the exposure scanner 20 Y as the components of the image forming unit 11 Y are described in detail below.
- the reference numerals of the photoreceptor drums 13 M, 13 C, and 13 K, the chargers 14 M, 14 C, and 14 K, the developing units 17 M, 17 C, and 17 K, the primary transfer rollers 18 M, 18 C, and 18 K, the drum cleaners 19 M, 19 C, and 19 K, and the exposure scanners 20 M, 20 C, and 20 K are omitted in FIG. 1 and the drawings thereafter.
- the image forming units 11 Y to 11 K, the photoreceptor drums 13 Y to 13 K, the chargers 14 Y to 14 K, the developing units 17 Y to 17 K, the primary rollers 18 Y to 18 K, the drum cleaners 19 Y to 19 K, and the exposure scanners 20 Y to 20 K are collectively referred to as respectively the image forming unit 11 , the photoreceptor drum 13 , the charger 14 , the developing unit 17 , the primary roller 18 , the drum cleaner 19 , and the exposure scanner 20 in some cases.
- the photoreceptor drum 13 Y (image carrier) has a cylindrical or column shape, and faces the primary transfer roller 18 Y with the intermediate transfer belt 21 interposed therebetween.
- the photoreceptor drum 13 Y includes a photoconductive film on an outer peripheral surface.
- the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor drum 13 Y is irradiated with light from the corresponding exposure scanner 20 Y so that charges in the irradiated area are removed.
- a yellow (Y) electrostatic latent image is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor drum 13 Y.
- magenta, cyan, and black electrostatic latent images are respectively formed on the outer peripheral surfaces of the photoreceptor drums 13 M, 13 C, and 13 K.
- the charger 14 Y comes in contact with, and thus charges the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor drum 13 Y.
- the developing unit 17 Y supplies yellow (Y) toner to the photoreceptor drum 13 Y on which the electrostatic latent image is formed, and thus develops the electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor drum 13 Y.
- the primary transfer roller 18 Y faces the photoreceptor drum 13 Y with the intermediate transfer belt 21 interposed therebetween.
- the primary transfer roller 18 Y is charged with a polarity that is opposite to that of the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor drum 13 Y.
- the yellow (Y) toner image is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 21 .
- the drum cleaner 19 Y removes remaining toner on the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor drum 13 Y after the toner image is transferred on the intermediate transfer belt 21 and until the next yellow toner is supplied from the developing unit 17 Y. As shown in FIG. 1 , the drum cleaner 19 Y is positioned to be capable of contacting the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor drum 13 Y.
- the exposure scanner 20 Y is so-called an exposing unit and irradiates the corresponding photoreceptor drum 13 Y with a laser beam.
- the electrostatic latent image is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the corresponding photoreceptor drum 13 Y.
- the intermediate transfer belt 21 transfers the toner images of the four colors primary transferred by the image forming units 11 ( 11 Y, 11 M, 11 C, and 11 K), onto the recording medium P. As shown in FIG. 1 , the intermediate transfer belt 21 is wound across a driving roller 22 and a driven roller 23 that rotate in the counterclockwise direction of FIG. 1 . A secondary transfer roller 25 faces the driving roller 22 with the conveyance path Ra interposed therebetween and contacts the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 .
- the toner images of the four colors formed on the outer periphery of the intermediate transfer belt 21 are secondary transferred onto the recording medium P.
- a developer supplied from the developing unit 17 of each image forming unit 11 is preferably a developer of one-component system using no carrier, but may be a developer of two-component system including toner and carrier.
- the material of the intermediate transfer belt 21 may be polycarbonate, polyimide, polyamidimide, and the like.
- a temperature-humidity sensor 29 detects a temperature and/or humidity around the printer unit 10 .
- the voltage applied to the primary transfer rollers 18 ( 18 Y, 18 M, 18 C, and 18 K) and a secondary transfer roller 25 is adjusted on the basis of the temperature and the humidity detected by the temperature-humidity sensor 29 .
- the primary and secondary transfer rollers 18 and 25 are so-called elastic rollers that are formed by adding ion conductive materials to synthetic rubber such as nitrile rubber and foaming the resultant object.
- the sheet feeder 30 feeds the recording medium P to the printer unit 10 .
- the sheet feeder 30 mainly includes a sheet feed cassette 31 and a sheet feed roller 32 .
- the sheet feed cassette 31 is a container that can accommodate a plurality of recording media P.
- the sheet feed roller 32 picks up the recording media P accommodated in the sheet feed cassette 31 from the uppermost sheet, and supplies the picked-up recording medium P to the sheet feed path R 1 .
- a pair of resist rollers 33 control the timing at which to feed the recording medium P to the conveyance path Ra. If the “direction of conveying the recording medium P” is defined as the “conveyance direction”, the pair of resist rollers 33 are disposed more on
- a sheet detection sensor 35 is a detector that detects the forward end of the recording medium P. As shown in FIG. 1 the sheet detection sensor 35 is disposed more on the downstream side than the pair of resist rollers 33 in the conveyance direction. When the forward end of the recording medium P reaches the sheet detection sensor 35 , the output from the sheet detection sensor 35 transitions to an ON state from an OFF state for example. Thus, by monitoring the output value outputted from the sheet detection sensor 35 , whether the recording medium P is supplied to a portion right before the pair of resist rollers 33 can be determined.
- the fixing unit 40 applies pressure and heat to the recording medium P and thus fixes the toner images transferred on the recording medium P. As shown in FIG. 1 the fixing unit 40 is disposed more on the downstream side than the secondary transfer roller 25 in the conveyance direction.
- the discharge unit 50 is disposed more on the downstream side than the fixing unit 40 in the conveyance direction, and discharges the recording medium P on which the toner image is fixed to the outside of the apparatus. Specifically, the recording medium P supplied to the discharge unit 50 through the conveyance path Ra is guided to a discharge path R 2 . As shown in FIG. 1 , the discharge unit 50 mainly includes a pair of discharge rollers 51 disposed on the discharge path R 2 and a discharge tray 52 .
- the scanner 55 is of an automatic document feeder (ADF) type or a flat bed type and reads an image on a document. As shown in FIG. 1 , the scanner 55 is disposed above the discharge unit 50 .
- ADF automatic document feeder
- the display unit 56 is formed of a liquid crystal display for example, and has a “touch panel” function of allowing a position in a screen to be pointed by touching the screen with a finger or a dedicated pen. Accordingly, the user of the image forming apparatus 1 (hereinafter, simply referred as “user”) gives instruction by using the “touch panel” function of the display unit 56 based on the content displayed on the display unit 56 and thus can make
- the image forming apparatus 1 execute certain processing (such as processing of printing the toner image on the recording medium P supplied from the sheet feeder 30 ).
- the display unit 56 can be used as a reception unit that receives an input operation from the user.
- An operation unit 57 is an input unit including a plurality of key pads. For example, when a print start button 57 a in the operation unit 57 is pressed, the printing processing on the recording medium P is executed. Thus, like the display unit 56 , the operation unit 57 can be used as the reception unit that receives the input operation from the user.
- the controller 90 controls the components of the image forming apparatus 1 and executes data calculation. As shown in FIG. 1 , the controller 90 mainly includes a read only memory (ROM) 91 , a random access memory (RAM) 92 , an image memory 93 , and a central processing unit (CPU) 95 .
- ROM read only memory
- RAM random access memory
- CPU central processing unit
- the ROM 91 is a so-called non-volatile storage unit, and stores a program 91 a for example.
- the RAM 92 and the image memory 93 are each a volatile storage unit.
- the RAM 92 stores data used for the calculation of the CPU 95 for example.
- the image memory 93 stores image data pieces respectively corresponding to the colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K).
- a flash memory that is a readable and writable non-volatile memory may be used as the ROM 91 , the RAM 92 , and the image memory 93 .
- the CPU 95 executes a control, various data calculations, and the like in accordance with the program 91 a in the ROM 91 .
- the CPU 95 receives an image signal from an unillustrated external terminal and the like, converts the image signal into digitalized image data for Y to K colors, and controls the operations of the printer unit 10 , the sheet feeder 30 , and the like.
- the printing processing on the recording medium P is executed.
- FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view showing a configuration of a supply unit 68 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 3 is a skeleton diagram of a power transmission system in a toner bottle drive unit 60 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- the supply unit 68 supplies yellow (Y) toner, magenta (M) toner, cyan (C) toner, and black (K) toner respectively to the developing units 17 ( 17 Y, 17 M, 17 C, and 17 K). As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG.
- the supply unit 68 mainly includes the toner bottle drive unit 60 , a plurality of toner bottles 70 ( 70 Y, 70 M, 70 C, and 70 K), and a plurality of sub-hoppers 80 ( 80 Y, 80 M, 80 C, and 80 K).
- the toner bottle drive unit 60 rotates the toner bottles 70 ( 70 Y, 70 M, 70 C, and 70 K).
- the toner bottle drive unit 60 is disposed on the rear side of the image forming apparatus 1 , and mainly includes one motor 61 (single drive source), a plurality of gears 62 , 66 ( 66 Y, 66 M, 66 C, and 66 K), and 67 ( 67 a and 67 b ), and first and second reduction gears 63 and 64 , as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 .
- the drive gear 62 is attached to the axial core of the motor 61 as shown in FIG. 3 .
- the docking gears 66 ( 66 Y, 66 M, 66 C, and 66 K) are respectively attached to the axial cores of the toner bottles 70 ( 70 Y, 70 M, 70 C, and 70 K).
- the idler gear 67 a is interlocked with and coupled to the docking gears 66 Y and 66 M, while the idler gear 67 b is interlocked with and coupled to the docking gears 66 C and 66 K.
- the first reduction gear 63 has input and output sides respectively interlocked with and coupled to the drive gear 62 and an input side of the second reduction gear 64 .
- the second reduction gear 64 has an output side interlocked and coupled to the docking gears 66 M and 66 C.
- the toner bottles 70 ( 70 Y, 70 M, 70 C, and 70 K) through the drive gear 62 , the first and second reduction gears 63 and 64 , the docking gears 66 ( 66 Y, 66 M, 66 C, and 66 K), and the idler gears 67 ( 67 a and 67 b ), the toner bottles 70 ( 70 Y, 70 M, 70 C, and 70 K) are rotated in the same direction.
- Each of the plurality of (four in the embodiment) toner bottles 70 ( 70 Y, 70 M, 70 C, and 70 K) is rotated by the toner bottle drive unit 60 , and thus conveys toner in a direction from the front side to the rear side of the image forming apparatus 1 (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “toner supply direction”).
- toner supply direction The configuration of the toner bottles 70 ( 70 Y, 70 M, 70 C and 70 K) will be described in detail later.
- the plurality of (four in the embodiment) sub-hoppers 80 ( 80 Y, 80 M, 80 C, and 80 K) temporarily store the toner supplied from the respective toner bottles 70 ( 70 Y, 70 M, 70 C and 70 K), and supply the toner to the respective developing units 17 ( 17 Y, 17 M, 17 C, and 17 K).
- the configuration of the sub-hoppers 80 ( 80 Y, 80 M, 80 C, and 80 K) will be described in detail later.
- FIG. 4 is a front perspective view showing a configuration of the toner bottle 70 and the sub-hopper 80 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view showing a configuration of the toner bottle 70 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 6 and 7 are each a diagram showing a configuration of a shutter 74 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 8 and 9 are each a front view showing a configuration of the toner bottle 70 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 10 and 11 are each a diagram showing a configuration of a seal unit 85 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 12 is a front view showing a configuration around a lock mechanism 76 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- the configuration of the toner bottles 70 ( 70 Y, 70 M, 70 C, and 70 K) is first described, and then the configuration of the sub-hoppers 80 ( 80 Y, 80 M, 80 C, and 80 K) is described.
- the toner bottles 70 Y, 70 M, 70 C, and 70 K store respectively the toner corresponding to the colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K).
- the toner bottles 70 Y, 70 M, 70 C, and 70 K are only different in the type of stored toner, and have the same hardware configuration.
- the toner bottle 70 Y and a container 71 Y, a cover 72 Y, a supply port 73 Y, a shutter 74 Y, a stirrer 75 Y, a lock mechanism 76 Y, a pair of guiding members 79 Y, and a seal unit 85 Y as components of the toner bottle 70 Y are mainly described.
- containers 71 C and 71 K covers 72 C and 72 K, supply ports 73 C and 73 K, shutters 74 C and 74 K, stirrers 75 C and 75 K, lock mechanisms 76 C and 76 K, guiding members 79 M, 79 C, and 79 K, and seal units 85 C and 85 K are omitted in FIG. 4 and the drawings thereafter.
- the toner bottles 70 Y to 70 K, the containers 71 Y to 71 K, the covers 72 Y to 72 K, the supply ports 73 Y to 73 K, the shutters 74 Y to 74 K, the stirrers 75 Y to 75 K, the lock mechanisms 76 Y to 76 K, the guiding members 79 Y to 79 K, and the seal units 85 Y to 85 K are collectively referred to as respectively the toner bottle 70 , the container 71 , the cover 72 , the supply port 73 , the shutter 74 , the stirrer 75 , the lock mechanism 76 , the guiding member 79 , and the seal unit 85 in some cases.
- the toner bottle 70 Y stores the toner in a container space 71 b of the container 71 Y and on the inner side of the cover 72 Y.
- the toner bottle 70 Y mainly includes the container 71 Y, the cover 72 Y, the shutter 74 Y, the stirrer 75 Y, and the lock mechanism 76 Y.
- a component including the container 71 and the cover 72 is also referred to as a main body 70 a.
- the toner bottle 70 Y can store toner in the main body 70 a.
- the container 71 Y is rotatable with respect to the cover 72 Y.
- the container 71 Y and the cover 72 Y each have a cylindrical shape.
- the protrusion 71 a protrudes from an inner wall 70 b toward the container space 71 b and is formed into a spiral shape along the toner supply direction.
- the toner contained in the container space 71 b is held in a groove 71 e defined by the neighboring protrusion 71 a and is supplied toward the supply port 73 .
- the shutter 74 Y (first shutter) is a lid that prevents the toner from leaking out of the toner bottle 70 Y when the toner bottle 70 Y is exchanged, conveyed, or subjected to the like operation. As shown in FIG. 5 , the shutter 74 Y covers the supply port 73 Y (first supply port) formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 70 a.
- the length of the shutter 74 Y in the outer peripheral direction (indicated by the arrow AR 1 in FIG. 8 ) along the outer peripheral surface of the main body 70 a is shorter than the outer peripheral length of the main body 70 a.
- the shutter 74 Y can prevent the toner leakage by only partially covering the main body 70 a in the outer peripheral direction.
- the manufacturing cost of the shutter 74 Y can be reduced.
- the stirrer 75 Y is a plate body disposed right above the supply port 73 Y as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 . As shown in FIG. 5 , the stirrer 75 Y is disposed along the rotational axis 71 d of the toner bottle 70 Y. The stirrer 75 Y stirs the toner contained in the container space 71 b along with the rotation of the container 71 Y. Thus, even the toner staying around the supply port 73 Y can be favorably stirred by the stirrer 75 Y.
- the pair of guiding members 79 Y guide the shutter 74 Y in the outer peripheral direction of the main body 70 a. As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 , the pair of guiding members 79 Y extend in the outer peripheral direction of the main body 70 a and are disposed on both ends of the shutter 74 in the extending direction of the rotational axis 71 d.
- the lock mechanism 76 Y fixes the shutter 74 to achieve the closed state of the supply port 73 Y.
- the lock mechanism 76 Y includes a protrusion 77 Y.
- the locking function of the lock mechanism 76 Y is implemented by the protrusion 77 Y and a recess 78 Y.
- the protrusion 77 Y can engage with the recess 78 Y formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 70 a (specifically the cover 72 Y). As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 , the protrusion 77 Y is provided to the shutter 74 Y in a cantilever manner and has an approximately L shape.
- the shutter 74 Y When the shutter 74 Y is fixed by the lock mechanism 76 Y, for the supply port 73 Y to transition to the opened state from the closed state, the shutter 74 Y needs to move in a direction to be separated from the recess 78 Y.
- the seal unit 85 Y is disposed between the cover 72 Y and the shutter 74 Y. As shown in FIG. 11 , the seal unit 85 Y is attached on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 70 a (more specifically the cover 72 Y) in such a manner as to surround the supply port 73 Y. Thus, the toner stored in the main body 70 a can be prevented from leaking out through the supply port 73 Y.
- the seal unit 85 Y has a notch 89 Y. As shown in FIG. 11 , the notch 89 Y has a rectangular shape corresponding to the recess 78 Y. Thus, the recess 78 Y is not covered by the seal unit 85 Y and is exposed through the notch 89 Y.
- the shutter 74 Y is movable in the outer peripheral direction of the main body 70 a.
- the toner bottle 70 Y rotationally moves relative to the sub-hopper 80 Y while the cover 72 Y of the toner bottle 70 Y is supported by a supporter 81 Y and the fixing of the shutter 74 Y is released, friction force works between the shutter 74 Y and the seal unit 85 Y.
- the shutter 74 Y has a tapered shape. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10 , if the contact portion between the stopper 87 Y of the sub-hopper 80 Y and the shutter 74 Y is defined as a contact portion 88 Y, around the contact portion 88 Y, the shutter 74 Y has a larger thickness at a portion farther from the contact portion 88 Y in the outer peripheral direction of the cover 72 Y. Thus, an end portion of the seal unit 85 can be prevented from being turned by the friction force from the shutter 74 Y.
- the sub-hoppers 80 ( 80 Y, 80 M, 80 C, and 80 K) are described.
- the sub-hoppers 80 Y, 80 M, 80 C, and 80 K are only different in the type of stored toner and have the same hard ware configuration.
- the sub-hopper 80 Y, and the supporter 81 Y, a storage unit 82 Y, the supply port 83 Y, the shutter 84 Y, the seal unit 85 Y, and a biasing member 86 Y as the components of the sub-hopper 80 Y are mainly described below.
- the reference numerals of the sub-hoppers 80 C and 80 K, supporters 81 C and 81 K, storage units 82 C and 82 K, supply ports 83 C and 83 K, shutters 84 C and 84 K, seal units 85 C and 85 K, and biasing members 86 M, 86 C, and 86 K are omitted in FIG. 4 and the drawings thereafter.
- the sub-hoppers 80 Y to 80 K, the supporters 81 Y to 81 K, the storage units 82 Y to 82 K, the supply ports 83 Y to 83 K, the shutters 84 Y to 84 K, the seal units 85 Y to 85 K, and the biasing members 86 Y to 86 K are collectively referred to as respectively the sub-hopper 80 , the supporter 81 , the storage unit 82 , the supply port 83 , the shutter 84 , the seal unit 85 , and the biasing member 86 in some cases.
- the supporter 81 Y supports the corresponding toner bottle 70 Y. As shown in FIG. 4 , the supporter 81 Y has a tubular shape. When the toner bottle 70 Y is supported, the cover 72 Y of the toner bottle 70 Y is inserted in the inner space of the supporter 81 Y.
- the storage unit 82 Y temporarily stores the toner supplied from the toner bottle 70 Y.
- the supply port 83 Y (second supply port) is formed in an upper portion of the storage unit 82 Y.
- the storage unit 82 Y stores the toner supplied from the toner bottle 70 Y supported by the supporter 81 Y through the supply port 83 Y.
- the shutter 74 Y is stopped at the stopper 87 Y disposed in an upper portion of the storage unit 82 .
- the stopper 87 Y has a tapered shape at a portion around the contact portion 88 Y, and around the contact portion 88 Y, the stopper 87 Y has a larger thickness at a portion farther from the contact portion 88 Y in the outer peripheral direction of the cover 72 Y.
- the shutter 74 Y has a larger thickness at a portion farther from the contact portion 88 Y in an outer peripheral direction of the cover 72 Y.
- the seal unit 85 Y covers the contact portion 88 Y between the shutter 74 Y and the stopper 87 Y.
- the toner supplied from the toner bottle 70 Y can be prevented from entering a gap formed between the shutter 74 Y and the stopper 87 Y.
- the stopper 87 Y has a tapered shape at a portion around the contact portion 88 Y.
- the end portion of the seal unit 85 can be prevented from being turned by the friction force from the stopper 87 Y.
- the shutters 84 Y and 84 M are lids that prevent toner leakage from the respective storage units 82 Y and 82 M when the toner bottles 70 Y and 70 M are detached from the respective supporters 81 Y and 81 M.
- the shutter 84 M of the sub-hopper 80 M covers the supply port 83 M.
- the container 71 Y of the toner bottle 70 Y is rotated about the rotational axis 71 d, and thus the shutter 74 Y is opened, the shutter 84 Y of the sub-hoper 80 Y is also in the opened state.
- the main body 70 a of the toner bottle 70 Y is communicated with the storage unit 82 Y of the sub-hopper 80 Y through the supply ports 73 Y and 83 Y.
- Seal members are attached on closed surfaces (curved surfaces opposed to the supply ports 83 Y and 83 M) of the shutters 84 Y and 84 M.
- the shutters 84 Y and 84 M are biased in directions to respectively close the supply ports 73 Y and 73 M.
- the toner bottles 70 Y and 70 M are respectively detached from the sub-hoppers 80 Y and 80 M, the supply ports 83 Y and 83 M are promptly closed.
- the toner is supplied from the toner bottle 70 Y to the sub-hopper 80 Y through the following procedure. Specifically, when the amount of the toner stored in the storage unit 82 Y is determined to be smaller than a threshold value, the toner bottle drive unit 60 makes the container 71 Y rotate about the rotational axis 71 d. Thus, the toner stored in the main body 70 a of the toner bottle 70 Y is supplied to the storage unit 82 Y of the sub-hopper 80 Y through the supply ports 73 Y and 83 Y.
- the biasing member 86 Y is a rectangular elastic body secured to the supporter 81 Y.
- the biasing member 86 Y biases the protrusion 77 Y toward the cover 72 Y.
- the biasing force from the biasing member 86 Y brings the shutter 74 Y into contact with the stopper 87 Y without leaving a space therebetween.
- the toner leakage is prevented.
- the exchange procedure for the toner bottle 70 is described with reference to FIG. 4 .
- the user detaches the used toner bottle 70 attached to the sub-hopper 80 and attaches the new toner bottle 70 .
- the controller 90 displays the message indicating that the toner bottle 70 should be exchanged on the display unit 56 .
- the user can recognize the timing to exchange the toner bottle 70 .
- the detachment procedure can be implemented by executing the process of the attachment procedure in the reverse order. Thus, only the attachment procedure for the new toner bottle 70 is described below, and the operation of detaching the used toner bottle 70 is not described below.
- the cover 72 of the toner bottle 70 is inserted in the supporter 81 of the sub-hopper 80 .
- the container 71 is manually rotated about the rotational axis 71 d.
- the protrusion 77 elastically deforms and is disengaged from the recess 78 , and thus the fixing by the lock mechanism 76 is released.
- the cover 72 moves relative to the shutter 74 of the toner bottle 70 in the outer peripheral direction, and the shutter 74 is opened.
- the manual rotation brings a contacting portion 72 a of the cover 72 into contact with the shutter 84 , thereby moving the shutter 84 in the outer peripheral direction.
- the supply port 83 of the storage unit 82 is opened.
- the supply ports 73 and 83 transition to the opened state, and the supply path of toner through the supply ports 73 and 83 is formed.
- the toner can be supplied from the toner bottle 70 to the sub-hopper 80 .
- the operation force amount applied to the shutters 74 and 84 needs to be reduced for example, for the opening and closing operation of the shutters 74 and 84 to be stably performed.
- at least the supply port 73 , the protrusion 77 , and the recess 78 are disposed along a virtual curve VC.
- the opening and closing operation of the shutters 74 and 84 might be unstable (for example, not be performed smoothly) depending on the variation in the size of the single member at the time of forming.
- the protrusion 77 , the recess 78 , and the pair of guiding members 79 of the embodiment are separately formed.
- the function of guiding the shutter 74 and the function of locking the shutter 74 are implemented by different members. Accordingly, the force along the outer peripheral direction of the cover 72 is favorably transmitted to the shutters 74 and 84 .
- the opening and closing operation of the shutters 74 and 84 can be favorably performed.
- the lock mechanism 76 and the pair of guiding members 79 are separately formed. As shown in FIG. 6 to FIG. 9 , at least the protrusion 77 , the recess 78 , and the supply port 73 are disposed along the virtual curve VC between the pair of guiding members 79 . Thus, the shutter 74 is not fixed and guided by the same member. Thus, the stability of the opening and closing operation of the shutter 74 can be secured. Accordingly, the toner leakage from the supply port 73 can be effectively prevented when the toner bottle 70 is exchanged, conveyed, or subjected to the like operations.
- the protrusion 77 is attached to the shutter 74 and the shutter 74 and the protrusion 77 are separately formed.
- the configuration is not limited to this.
- the shutter 74 and the protrusion 77 may be integrally formed as a single member.
- the protrusion 77 only needs to be provided to the shutter 74 .
- the toner bottle 70 rotationally moves relative to the sub-hopper 80 .
- the configuration is not limited to this.
- the sub-hopper 80 may rotationally move relative to the toner bottle 70 , or both the toner bottle 70 and the sub-hopper 80 may rotationally move.
- the toner bottle 70 rotationally moves relative to the sub-hopper 80 .
- the cover 72 rotationally moves relative to the shutter 74 .
- the configuration is not limited to this.
- the shutter 74 may rotationally move relative to the cover 72 , or both the cover 72 and the shutter 74 may rotationally move.
- the cover 72 rotationally moves relative to the shutter 74 .
- a lock mechanism and a pair of guiding members are separately formed.
- a protrusion, a recess, and a first supply port are disposed along a virtual curve between the pair of guiding members.
- the first shutter can prevent the toner leakage by only partially covering a main body in an outer peripheral direction.
- the manufacturing cost of the first shutter can be reduced.
- a fix end of the protrusion is at a position opposite to the first supply port with respect to the recess.
- a seal unit covers a contact portion between the first shutter and a stopper.
- the toner supplied from the toner bottle can be prevented from entering a gap around the contact portion.
- an end portion of the seal unit can be prevented from being turned by friction force from the first shutter. Also, in the embodiment of the present invention, the end portion of the seal unit can be prevented from being turned by friction force from the stopper.
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Abstract
Description
- The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-083813, filed Apr. 2, 2012. The contents of this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to a toner bottle, a supply unit, and an image forming apparatus.
- 2. Discussion of the Background
- A technique of sealing toner in a toner supply container by covering an opening with a container shutter has conventionally been known (for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-323082 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-102133).
- Furthermore, a technique of locking the container shutter with engaging portions attached to guiding members also has conventionally been known (for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-323082). Still furthermore, a shutter member that moves along a rotational axis of a toner bottle also has conventionally been known (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-102133).
- In the toner supply container of Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-323082, the guiding members are provided on both ends of the container shutter, which moves in an outer peripheral direction of the toner supply container. As described above, the engaging portion that locks the container shutter is attached to each of the guiding members. Thus, both ends of the container shutter are locked by the engaging portions.
- As a result, depending on variation of sizes of the guiding members, the engaging portions, and the container shutter at the time of formation, opening and closing operation of the container shutter might not be able to be carried out stably.
- An object of the present invention is to provide a toner bottle, a supply unit, and an image forming apparatus that can favorably supply toner.
- An embodiment of the present invention for solving the problem described above is a toner bottle capable of storing toner in a main body, including: a first shutter configured to cover a first supply port formed in an outer peripheral surface of the main body, the first shutter being movable in an outer peripheral direction along the outer peripheral surface of the main body; a pair of guiding members respectively formed on both ends of the first shutter, and configured to guide the first shutter in the outer peripheral direction; and a lock mechanism configured to fix the first shutter to achieve a closed sate of the first supply port. The lock mechanism includes a protrusion provided to the first shutter, the protrusion being capable of engaging with a recess formed in the outer peripheral surface. Fixing by the lock mechanism is released when the protrusion elastically deforms and is disengaged from the recess. The protrusion, the recess, and the first supply port are disposed along a virtual curve between the pair of guiding members.
- Another embodiment of the present invention is a supply unit configured to supply toner to a developing unit, including: the toner bottle; and a sub-hopper configured to temporarily store the toner supplied from the toner bottle, and supply the toner to the developing unit. The sub-hopper includes: a supporter configured to support the toner bottle; a storage unit configured to store the toner supplied from the toner bottle supported by the supporter through a second supply port; and a second shutter configured to cover the second supply port formed in the storage unit. As the toner bottle supported by the supporter rotationally moves relative to the sub-hopper, the first and the second supply ports transition to an opened state, and a supply path for the toner through the first and the second supply ports is formed.
- A still another embodiment of the present invention is an image forming apparatus including: the supply unit; an image carrier; and the developing unit configured to develop an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier.
- A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
-
FIG. 1 is a front view showing an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view showing a configuration of a supply unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 3 is a skeleton diagram of a power transmission system in a toner bottle drive unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 4 is a front perspective view showing configuration of a toner bottle and a sub-hopper according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view showing a configuration of the toner bottle according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a shutter of the toner bottle according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of the shutter of the toner bottle according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 8 is a front view showing a configuration of the toner bottle according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 9 is a front view showing a configuration of the toner bottle according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 10 is a front view showing a configuration of a seal unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration of the seal unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; and -
FIG. 12 is a front view showing a configuration around a lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. - The embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding or identical elements throughout the various drawings.
-
FIG. 1 is a front view showing an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus 1 is used as, for example, a multi-function machine integrally incorporating copy, printing, and fax capabilities, and prints a monochrome image or a color image by electrophotography. - As shown in
FIG. 1 , the image forming apparatus 1 mainly includes aprinter unit 10, asheet feeder 30, afixing unit 40, adischarge unit 50, ascanner 55, adisplay unit 56, and acontroller 90.FIG. 1 and the drawings thereafter are provided, as appropriate, with an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system in which a Z axis direction is a vertical direction and an XY plane is a horizontal surface, to clarify the directional relationship in the drawings. - The
printer unit 10 prints a monochrome or color image on a recording medium P supplied through a sheet feed path R1 and a conveyance path Ra. As shown inFIG. 1 , theprinter unit 10 mainly includes image forming units 11 (11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K), exposure scanners 20 (20Y, 20M, 20C and 20K), and anintermediate transfer belt 21. - The plurality of (4 in the embodiment)
image forming units 11 respectively correspond to colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). As shown inFIG. 1 , each of the image forming units 11 (11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K) mainly includes a photoreceptor drum 13 (13Y, 13M, 13C, and 13K), a charger 14 (14Y, 14M, 14C, and 14K), a developing unit 17 (17Y, 17M, 17C, and 17K), a primary transfer roller 18 (18Y, 18M, 18C, and 18K), a drum cleaner 19 (19Y, 19M, 19C, and 19K), and the exposure scanner 20 (20Y, 20M, 20C and 20K). - The
printer unit 10 of the embodiment is of a so-called tandem type, and along theintermediate transfer belt 21, the image forming units 11 (11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K) are arranged in the order of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) from the left side to the right side ofFIG. 1 . - In the embodiment, the
image forming units photoreceptor drum 13Y, thecharger 14Y, the developingunit 17Y, theprimary transfer roller 18Y, thedrum cleaner 19Y, and theexposure scanner 20Y as the components of the image forming unit 11Y are described in detail below. - For the convenience of illustration, the reference numerals of the photoreceptor drums 13M, 13C, and 13K, the chargers 14M, 14C, and 14K, the developing units 17M, 17C, and 17K, the primary transfer rollers 18M, 18C, and 18K, the drum cleaners 19M, 19C, and 19K, and the exposure scanners 20M, 20C, and 20K are omitted in
FIG. 1 and the drawings thereafter. - In the embodiment, the image forming units 11Y to 11K, the
photoreceptor drums 13Y to 13K, thechargers 14Y to 14K, the developingunits 17Y to 17K, theprimary rollers 18Y to 18K, thedrum cleaners 19Y to 19K, and theexposure scanners 20Y to 20K are collectively referred to as respectively theimage forming unit 11, thephotoreceptor drum 13, thecharger 14, the developingunit 17, theprimary roller 18, thedrum cleaner 19, and the exposure scanner 20 in some cases. - The
photoreceptor drum 13Y (image carrier) has a cylindrical or column shape, and faces theprimary transfer roller 18Y with theintermediate transfer belt 21 interposed therebetween. Thephotoreceptor drum 13Y includes a photoconductive film on an outer peripheral surface. - The outer peripheral surface of the
photoreceptor drum 13Y is irradiated with light from thecorresponding exposure scanner 20Y so that charges in the irradiated area are removed. Thus, a yellow (Y) electrostatic latent image is formed on the outer peripheral surface of thephotoreceptor drum 13Y. Similarly, magenta, cyan, and black electrostatic latent images are respectively formed on the outer peripheral surfaces of the photoreceptor drums 13M, 13C, and 13K. - The
charger 14Y comes in contact with, and thus charges the outer peripheral surface of thephotoreceptor drum 13Y. The developingunit 17Y supplies yellow (Y) toner to thephotoreceptor drum 13Y on which the electrostatic latent image is formed, and thus develops the electrostatic latent image on thephotoreceptor drum 13Y. - As shown in
FIG. 1 , theprimary transfer roller 18Y faces thephotoreceptor drum 13Y with theintermediate transfer belt 21 interposed therebetween. Theprimary transfer roller 18Y is charged with a polarity that is opposite to that of the outer peripheral surface of thephotoreceptor drum 13Y. Thus, when theintermediate transfer belt 21 is nipped by the rollingphotoreceptor drum 13Y and the rollingprimary transfer roller 18Y, the yellow (Y) toner image is transferred onto theintermediate transfer belt 21. - The
drum cleaner 19Y removes remaining toner on the outer peripheral surface of thephotoreceptor drum 13Y after the toner image is transferred on theintermediate transfer belt 21 and until the next yellow toner is supplied from the developingunit 17Y. As shown inFIG. 1 , thedrum cleaner 19Y is positioned to be capable of contacting the outer peripheral surface of thephotoreceptor drum 13Y. - The
exposure scanner 20Y is so-called an exposing unit and irradiates the correspondingphotoreceptor drum 13Y with a laser beam. Thus, the electrostatic latent image is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the correspondingphotoreceptor drum 13Y. - The
intermediate transfer belt 21 transfers the toner images of the four colors primary transferred by the image forming units 11 (11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K), onto the recording medium P. As shown inFIG. 1 , theintermediate transfer belt 21 is wound across a drivingroller 22 and a drivenroller 23 that rotate in the counterclockwise direction of FIG. 1. Asecondary transfer roller 25 faces the drivingroller 22 with the conveyance path Ra interposed therebetween and contacts the outer peripheral surface of theintermediate transfer belt 21. - Thus, by adjusting the feed timing of the
intermediate transfer belt 21 and the conveyance timing of the recording medium P conveyed along the conveyance path Ra, the toner images of the four colors formed on the outer periphery of theintermediate transfer belt 21 are secondary transferred onto the recording medium P. - A developer supplied from the developing
unit 17 of eachimage forming unit 11 is preferably a developer of one-component system using no carrier, but may be a developer of two-component system including toner and carrier. The material of theintermediate transfer belt 21 may be polycarbonate, polyimide, polyamidimide, and the like. - A temperature-
humidity sensor 29 detects a temperature and/or humidity around theprinter unit 10. The voltage applied to the primary transfer rollers 18 (18Y, 18M, 18C, and 18K) and asecondary transfer roller 25 is adjusted on the basis of the temperature and the humidity detected by the temperature-humidity sensor 29. - The primary and
secondary transfer rollers - The
sheet feeder 30 feeds the recording medium P to theprinter unit 10. As shown inFIG. 1 , thesheet feeder 30 mainly includes asheet feed cassette 31 and asheet feed roller 32. - The
sheet feed cassette 31 is a container that can accommodate a plurality of recording media P. Thesheet feed roller 32 picks up the recording media P accommodated in thesheet feed cassette 31 from the uppermost sheet, and supplies the picked-up recording medium P to the sheet feed path R1. - A pair of resist
rollers 33 control the timing at which to feed the recording medium P to the conveyance path Ra. If the “direction of conveying the recording medium P” is defined as the “conveyance direction”, the pair of resistrollers 33 are disposed more on - the downstream side than the
sheet feed roller 32 in the conveyance direction as shown inFIG. 1 . - A
sheet detection sensor 35 is a detector that detects the forward end of the recording medium P. As shown inFIG. 1 thesheet detection sensor 35 is disposed more on the downstream side than the pair of resistrollers 33 in the conveyance direction. When the forward end of the recording medium P reaches thesheet detection sensor 35, the output from thesheet detection sensor 35 transitions to an ON state from an OFF state for example. Thus, by monitoring the output value outputted from thesheet detection sensor 35, whether the recording medium P is supplied to a portion right before the pair of resistrollers 33 can be determined. - The fixing
unit 40 applies pressure and heat to the recording medium P and thus fixes the toner images transferred on the recording medium P. As shown inFIG. 1 the fixingunit 40 is disposed more on the downstream side than thesecondary transfer roller 25 in the conveyance direction. - The
discharge unit 50 is disposed more on the downstream side than the fixingunit 40 in the conveyance direction, and discharges the recording medium P on which the toner image is fixed to the outside of the apparatus. Specifically, the recording medium P supplied to thedischarge unit 50 through the conveyance path Ra is guided to a discharge path R2. As shown inFIG. 1 , thedischarge unit 50 mainly includes a pair ofdischarge rollers 51 disposed on the discharge path R2 and adischarge tray 52. - The
scanner 55 is of an automatic document feeder (ADF) type or a flat bed type and reads an image on a document. As shown inFIG. 1 , thescanner 55 is disposed above thedischarge unit 50. - The
display unit 56 is formed of a liquid crystal display for example, and has a “touch panel” function of allowing a position in a screen to be pointed by touching the screen with a finger or a dedicated pen. Accordingly, the user of the image forming apparatus 1 (hereinafter, simply referred as “user”) gives instruction by using the “touch panel” function of thedisplay unit 56 based on the content displayed on thedisplay unit 56 and thus can make - the image forming apparatus 1 execute certain processing (such as processing of printing the toner image on the recording medium P supplied from the sheet feeder 30). As described above, the
display unit 56 can be used as a reception unit that receives an input operation from the user. - An
operation unit 57 is an input unit including a plurality of key pads. For example, when aprint start button 57 a in theoperation unit 57 is pressed, the printing processing on the recording medium P is executed. Thus, like thedisplay unit 56, theoperation unit 57 can be used as the reception unit that receives the input operation from the user. - The
controller 90 controls the components of the image forming apparatus 1 and executes data calculation. As shown inFIG. 1 , thecontroller 90 mainly includes a read only memory (ROM) 91, a random access memory (RAM) 92, animage memory 93, and a central processing unit (CPU) 95. - The
ROM 91 is a so-called non-volatile storage unit, and stores aprogram 91 a for example. TheRAM 92 and theimage memory 93 are each a volatile storage unit. TheRAM 92 stores data used for the calculation of theCPU 95 for example. Theimage memory 93 stores image data pieces respectively corresponding to the colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). A flash memory that is a readable and writable non-volatile memory may be used as theROM 91, theRAM 92, and theimage memory 93. - The
CPU 95 executes a control, various data calculations, and the like in accordance with theprogram 91 a in theROM 91. For example, theCPU 95 receives an image signal from an unillustrated external terminal and the like, converts the image signal into digitalized image data for Y to K colors, and controls the operations of theprinter unit 10, thesheet feeder 30, and the like. Thus, the printing processing on the recording medium P is executed. -
FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view showing a configuration of asupply unit 68 according to an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 3 is a skeleton diagram of a power transmission system in a tonerbottle drive unit 60 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Thesupply unit 68 supplies yellow (Y) toner, magenta (M) toner, cyan (C) toner, and black (K) toner respectively to the developing units 17 (17Y, 17M, 17C, and 17K). As shown inFIG. 2 andFIG. 4 , thesupply unit 68 mainly includes the tonerbottle drive unit 60, a plurality of toner bottles 70 (70Y, 70M, 70C, and 70K), and a plurality of sub-hoppers 80 (80Y, 80M, 80C, and 80K). - The toner
bottle drive unit 60 rotates the toner bottles 70 (70Y, 70M, 70C, and 70K). The tonerbottle drive unit 60 is disposed on the rear side of the image forming apparatus 1, and mainly includes one motor 61 (single drive source), a plurality ofgears 62, 66 (66Y, 66M, 66C, and 66K), and 67 (67 a and 67 b), and first and second reduction gears 63 and 64, as shown inFIG. 2 andFIG. 3 . - The
drive gear 62 is attached to the axial core of themotor 61 as shown inFIG. 3 . The docking gears 66 (66Y, 66M, 66C, and 66K) are respectively attached to the axial cores of the toner bottles 70 (70Y, 70M, 70C, and 70K). Theidler gear 67 a is interlocked with and coupled to the docking gears 66Y and 66M, while theidler gear 67 b is interlocked with and coupled to the docking gears 66C and 66K. - As shown in
FIG. 3 , thefirst reduction gear 63 has input and output sides respectively interlocked with and coupled to thedrive gear 62 and an input side of thesecond reduction gear 64. Thesecond reduction gear 64 has an output side interlocked and coupled to the docking gears 66M and 66C. - Thus, when the
motor 61 is rotated and the driving force supplied from themotor 61 is provided to the toner bottles 70 (70Y, 70M, 70C, and 70K) through thedrive gear 62, the first and second reduction gears 63 and 64, the docking gears 66 (66Y, 66M, 66C, and 66K), and the idler gears 67 (67 a and 67 b), the toner bottles 70 (70Y, 70M, 70C, and 70K) are rotated in the same direction. - As described above, power transmission elements such as a mechanical clutch is not used in the toner
bottle drive unit 60. Thus, the starting torque, stopping torque, and rated torque of themotor 61 can be reduced. Thus, the manufacturing cost of the image forming apparatus 1 as a whole can be reduced. - Each of the plurality of (four in the embodiment) toner bottles 70 (70Y, 70M, 70C, and 70K) is rotated by the toner
bottle drive unit 60, and thus conveys toner in a direction from the front side to the rear side of the image forming apparatus 1 (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “toner supply direction”). The configuration of the toner bottles 70 (70Y, 70M, 70C and 70K) will be described in detail later. - The plurality of (four in the embodiment) sub-hoppers 80 (80Y, 80M, 80C, and 80K) temporarily store the toner supplied from the respective toner bottles 70 (70Y, 70M, 70C and 70K), and supply the toner to the respective developing units 17 (17Y, 17M, 17C, and 17K). The configuration of the sub-hoppers 80 (80Y, 80M, 80C, and 80K) will be described in detail later.
-
FIG. 4 is a front perspective view showing a configuration of thetoner bottle 70 and the sub-hopper 80 according to an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view showing a configuration of thetoner bottle 70 according to an embodiment of the present invention.FIGS. 6 and 7 are each a diagram showing a configuration of ashutter 74 according to an embodiment of the present invention.FIGS. 8 and 9 are each a front view showing a configuration of thetoner bottle 70 according to an embodiment of the present invention.FIGS. 10 and 11 are each a diagram showing a configuration of aseal unit 85 according to an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 12 is a front view showing a configuration around alock mechanism 76 according to an embodiment of the present invention. - Here, the configuration of the toner bottles 70 (70Y, 70M, 70C, and 70K) is first described, and then the configuration of the sub-hoppers 80 (80Y, 80M, 80C, and 80K) is described.
- In the embodiment, the
toner bottles toner bottles - Thus, in the description below, the
toner bottle 70Y, and acontainer 71Y, acover 72Y, asupply port 73Y, ashutter 74Y, astirrer 75Y, alock mechanism 76Y, a pair of guidingmembers 79Y, and aseal unit 85Y as components of thetoner bottle 70Y are mainly described. - For the convenience of illustration, the reference numerals of
containers 71C and 71K, covers 72C and 72K, supply ports 73C and 73K, shutters 74C and 74K, stirrers 75C and 75K, lock mechanisms 76C and 76K, guiding members 79M, 79C, and 79K, and seal units 85C and 85K are omitted inFIG. 4 and the drawings thereafter. - In the description given below, the
toner bottles 70Y to 70K, thecontainers 71Y to 71K, thecovers 72Y to 72K, thesupply ports 73Y to 73K, theshutters 74Y to 74K, thestirrers 75Y to 75K, thelock mechanisms 76Y to 76K, the guidingmembers 79Y to 79K, and theseal units 85Y to 85K are collectively referred to as respectively thetoner bottle 70, thecontainer 71, thecover 72, thesupply port 73, theshutter 74, thestirrer 75, thelock mechanism 76, the guidingmember 79, and theseal unit 85 in some cases. - The
toner bottle 70Y stores the toner in a container space 71 b of thecontainer 71Y and on the inner side of thecover 72Y. As shown inFIG. 4 toFIG. 9 , thetoner bottle 70Y mainly includes thecontainer 71Y, thecover 72Y, theshutter 74Y, thestirrer 75Y, and thelock mechanism 76Y. - In the embodiment, as shown in
FIG. 5 , a component including thecontainer 71 and thecover 72 is also referred to as amain body 70 a. Specifically, thetoner bottle 70Y can store toner in themain body 70 a. - As shown in
FIG. 5 , thecontainer 71Y is rotatable with respect to thecover 72Y. As shown inFIG. 5 , thecontainer 71Y and thecover 72Y each have a cylindrical shape. The protrusion 71 a protrudes from aninner wall 70 b toward the container space 71 b and is formed into a spiral shape along the toner supply direction. - Thus, as the
container 71Y rotates about arotational axis 71 d, the toner contained in the container space 71 b is held in agroove 71 e defined by the neighboring protrusion 71 a and is supplied toward thesupply port 73. - The
shutter 74Y (first shutter) is a lid that prevents the toner from leaking out of thetoner bottle 70Y when thetoner bottle 70Y is exchanged, conveyed, or subjected to the like operation. As shown inFIG. 5 , theshutter 74Y covers thesupply port 73Y (first supply port) formed on the outer peripheral surface of themain body 70 a. - The length of the
shutter 74Y in the outer peripheral direction (indicated by the arrow AR1 inFIG. 8 ) along the outer peripheral surface of themain body 70 a is shorter than the outer peripheral length of themain body 70 a. Thus, theshutter 74Y can prevent the toner leakage by only partially covering themain body 70 a in the outer peripheral direction. Thus, the manufacturing cost of theshutter 74Y can be reduced. - The
stirrer 75Y is a plate body disposed right above thesupply port 73Y as shown inFIG. 4 andFIG. 5 . As shown inFIG. 5 , thestirrer 75Y is disposed along therotational axis 71 d of thetoner bottle 70Y. Thestirrer 75Y stirs the toner contained in the container space 71 b along with the rotation of thecontainer 71Y. Thus, even the toner staying around thesupply port 73Y can be favorably stirred by thestirrer 75Y. - The pair of guiding
members 79Y guide theshutter 74Y in the outer peripheral direction of themain body 70 a. As shown inFIG. 6 andFIG. 7 , the pair of guidingmembers 79Y extend in the outer peripheral direction of themain body 70 a and are disposed on both ends of theshutter 74 in the extending direction of therotational axis 71 d. - The
lock mechanism 76Y fixes theshutter 74 to achieve the closed state of thesupply port 73Y. As shown inFIG. 8 andFIG. 9 , thelock mechanism 76Y includes aprotrusion 77Y. The locking function of thelock mechanism 76Y is implemented by theprotrusion 77Y and arecess 78Y. - The
protrusion 77Y can engage with therecess 78Y formed on the outer peripheral surface of themain body 70 a (specifically thecover 72Y). As shown inFIG. 8 andFIG. 9 , theprotrusion 77Y is provided to theshutter 74Y in a cantilever manner and has an approximately L shape. - As shown in
FIG. 8 , when theshutter 74Y is fixed by thelock mechanism 76Y, a fix end of theprotrusion 77Y is at an attachment position PT opposite to thesupply port 73Y with respect to therecess 78Y. - When the
shutter 74Y is fixed by thelock mechanism 76Y, for thesupply port 73Y to transition to the opened state from the closed state, theshutter 74Y needs to move in a direction to be separated from therecess 78Y. - Here, when the
shutter 74Y moves in the separating direction while theprotrusion 77Y is engaged with therecess 78Y, a force in the pulling direction works on theprotrusion 77Y, and the engaged state between theprotrusion 77Y and therecess 78Y is maintained. Thus, while theshutter 74Y is in the fixed state, the toner leakage from thesupply port 73Y can be prevented. - As shown in
FIG. 10 , theseal unit 85Y is disposed between thecover 72Y and theshutter 74Y. As shown inFIG. 11 , theseal unit 85Y is attached on the outer peripheral surface of themain body 70 a (more specifically thecover 72Y) in such a manner as to surround thesupply port 73Y. Thus, the toner stored in themain body 70 a can be prevented from leaking out through thesupply port 73Y. - The
seal unit 85Y has anotch 89Y. As shown inFIG. 11 , thenotch 89Y has a rectangular shape corresponding to therecess 78Y. Thus, therecess 78Y is not covered by theseal unit 85Y and is exposed through thenotch 89Y. - As described above, the
shutter 74Y is movable in the outer peripheral direction of themain body 70 a. When thetoner bottle 70Y rotationally moves relative to the sub-hopper 80Y while thecover 72Y of thetoner bottle 70Y is supported by asupporter 81Y and the fixing of theshutter 74Y is released, friction force works between theshutter 74Y and theseal unit 85Y. - In the embodiment, to reduce the wearing of the
seal unit 85 due to the friction force, theshutter 74Y has a tapered shape. Specifically, as shown inFIG. 10 , if the contact portion between thestopper 87Y of the sub-hopper 80Y and theshutter 74Y is defined as acontact portion 88Y, around thecontact portion 88Y, theshutter 74Y has a larger thickness at a portion farther from thecontact portion 88Y in the outer peripheral direction of thecover 72Y. Thus, an end portion of theseal unit 85 can be prevented from being turned by the friction force from theshutter 74Y. - Returning to
FIG. 4 , the sub-hoppers 80 (80Y, 80M, 80C, and 80K) are described. In the embodiment, the sub-hoppers 80Y, 80M, 80C, and 80K are only different in the type of stored toner and have the same hard ware configuration. - Thus, the sub-hopper 80Y, and the
supporter 81Y, astorage unit 82Y, thesupply port 83Y, theshutter 84Y, theseal unit 85Y, and a biasingmember 86Y as the components of the sub-hopper 80Y are mainly described below. - For the convenience of illustration, the reference numerals of the sub-hoppers 80C and 80K, supporters 81C and 81K, storage units 82C and 82K, supply ports 83C and 83K, shutters 84C and 84K, seal units 85C and 85K, and biasing members 86M, 86C, and 86K are omitted in
FIG. 4 and the drawings thereafter. - In the description given below, the sub-hoppers 80Y to 80K, the
supporters 81Y to 81K, thestorage units 82Y to 82K, thesupply ports 83Y to 83K, theshutters 84Y to 84K, theseal units 85Y to 85K, and the biasingmembers 86Y to 86K are collectively referred to as respectively the sub-hopper 80, thesupporter 81, thestorage unit 82, thesupply port 83, theshutter 84, theseal unit 85, and the biasingmember 86 in some cases. - The
supporter 81Y supports the correspondingtoner bottle 70Y. As shown inFIG. 4 , thesupporter 81Y has a tubular shape. When thetoner bottle 70Y is supported, thecover 72Y of thetoner bottle 70Y is inserted in the inner space of thesupporter 81Y. - The
storage unit 82Y temporarily stores the toner supplied from thetoner bottle 70Y. As shown inFIG. 4 , thesupply port 83Y (second supply port) is formed in an upper portion of thestorage unit 82Y. Thus, thestorage unit 82Y stores the toner supplied from thetoner bottle 70Y supported by thesupporter 81Y through thesupply port 83Y. - When the
toner bottle 70Y is attached to the sub-hopper 80Y and supported by thesupporter 81Y, theshutter 74Y is stopped at thestopper 87Y disposed in an upper portion of thestorage unit 82. - Here, the
stopper 87Y has a tapered shape at a portion around thecontact portion 88Y, and around thecontact portion 88Y, thestopper 87Y has a larger thickness at a portion farther from thecontact portion 88Y in the outer peripheral direction of thecover 72Y. As described above, around thecontact portion 88Y, theshutter 74Y has a larger thickness at a portion farther from thecontact portion 88Y in an outer peripheral direction of thecover 72Y. - Thus, as shown in
FIG. 10 , when thesupply ports seal unit 85Y covers thecontact portion 88Y between theshutter 74Y and thestopper 87Y. Thus, the toner supplied from thetoner bottle 70Y can be prevented from entering a gap formed between theshutter 74Y and thestopper 87Y. - When the
toner bottle 70Y rotationally moves relative to the sub-hopper 80Y, friction force works between thestopper 87Y and theseal unit 85Y. As described above, thestopper 87Y has a tapered shape at a portion around thecontact portion 88Y. Thus, the end portion of theseal unit 85 can be prevented from being turned by the friction force from thestopper 87Y. - The
shutters respective storage units toner bottles respective supporters - For example, as shown in
FIG. 4 , when theshutter 74M of thetoner bottle 70M is in the closed state, theshutter 84M of the sub-hopper 80M covers thesupply port 83M. In contrast, when thecontainer 71Y of thetoner bottle 70Y is rotated about therotational axis 71 d, and thus theshutter 74Y is opened, theshutter 84Y of the sub-hoper 80Y is also in the opened state. Thus, themain body 70 a of thetoner bottle 70Y is communicated with thestorage unit 82Y of the sub-hopper 80Y through thesupply ports - Seal members (not illustrated) are attached on closed surfaces (curved surfaces opposed to the
supply ports shutters toner bottles storage units main body 1 a of the image forming apparatus 1 by the toner can be effectively prevented. - Furthermore, when the
supply ports shutters supply ports toner bottles supply ports - Here, the toner is supplied from the
toner bottle 70Y to the sub-hopper 80Y through the following procedure. Specifically, when the amount of the toner stored in thestorage unit 82Y is determined to be smaller than a threshold value, the tonerbottle drive unit 60 makes thecontainer 71Y rotate about therotational axis 71 d. Thus, the toner stored in themain body 70 a of thetoner bottle 70Y is supplied to thestorage unit 82Y of the sub-hopper 80Y through thesupply ports - As shown in
FIG. 12 , the biasingmember 86Y is a rectangular elastic body secured to thesupporter 81Y. The biasingmember 86Y biases theprotrusion 77Y toward thecover 72Y. Thus, when thetoner bottle 70Y is attached to the sub-hopper 80Y, the biasing force from the biasingmember 86Y brings theshutter 74Y into contact with thestopper 87Y without leaving a space therebetween. Thus, the toner leakage is prevented. - Here, the exchange procedure for the
toner bottle 70 is described with reference toFIG. 4 . In the embodiment, the user detaches the usedtoner bottle 70 attached to the sub-hopper 80 and attaches thenew toner bottle 70. - When the toner in the
main body 70 a of thetoner bottle 70 is used up, thecontroller 90 displays the message indicating that thetoner bottle 70 should be exchanged on thedisplay unit 56. Thus, through the notification of the message, the user can recognize the timing to exchange thetoner bottle 70. - The detachment procedure can be implemented by executing the process of the attachment procedure in the reverse order. Thus, only the attachment procedure for the
new toner bottle 70 is described below, and the operation of detaching the usedtoner bottle 70 is not described below. - In the attachment procedure of the
toner bottle 70, first, thecover 72 of thetoner bottle 70 is inserted in thesupporter 81 of the sub-hopper 80. Next, while thecover 72 is inserted in thestorage unit 82, thecontainer 71 is manually rotated about therotational axis 71 d. Thus, theprotrusion 77 elastically deforms and is disengaged from therecess 78, and thus the fixing by thelock mechanism 76 is released. Thus, thecover 72 moves relative to theshutter 74 of thetoner bottle 70 in the outer peripheral direction, and theshutter 74 is opened. - The manual rotation brings a contacting
portion 72 a of thecover 72 into contact with theshutter 84, thereby moving theshutter 84 in the outer peripheral direction. Thus, thesupply port 83 of thestorage unit 82 is opened. - As described above, as the
toner bottle 70 supported by thesupporter 81 rotationally moves relative to the sub-hopper 80, thesupply ports supply ports toner bottle 70 to the sub-hopper 80. - In a case where the
shutter 74 of thetoner bottle 70 and theshutter 84 of the sub-hopper 80 are opened through the manual rotation of thetoner bottle 70, the operation force amount applied to theshutters shutters supply port 73, theprotrusion 77, and therecess 78 are disposed along a virtual curve VC. - Here, if the
protrusion 77, therecess 78, and the pair of guidingmembers 79 are formed of a single member, the opening and closing operation of theshutters - Therefore, the
protrusion 77, therecess 78, and the pair of guidingmembers 79 of the embodiment are separately formed. Thus, the function of guiding theshutter 74 and the function of locking theshutter 74 are implemented by different members. Accordingly, the force along the outer peripheral direction of thecover 72 is favorably transmitted to theshutters shutters - As described above, in the
toner bottle 70 of the embodiment, thelock mechanism 76 and the pair of guidingmembers 79 are separately formed. As shown inFIG. 6 toFIG. 9 , at least theprotrusion 77, therecess 78, and thesupply port 73 are disposed along the virtual curve VC between the pair of guidingmembers 79. Thus, theshutter 74 is not fixed and guided by the same member. Thus, the stability of the opening and closing operation of theshutter 74 can be secured. Accordingly, the toner leakage from thesupply port 73 can be effectively prevented when thetoner bottle 70 is exchanged, conveyed, or subjected to the like operations. - The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified in various ways.
- (1) In the embodiment, the
protrusion 77 is attached to theshutter 74 and theshutter 74 and theprotrusion 77 are separately formed. However, the configuration is not limited to this. For example, theshutter 74 and theprotrusion 77 may be integrally formed as a single member. Specifically, theprotrusion 77 only needs to be provided to theshutter 74. - (2) In the exchange procedure of the
toner bottle 70 in the embodiment, thetoner bottle 70 rotationally moves relative to the sub-hopper 80. However, the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the sub-hopper 80 may rotationally move relative to thetoner bottle 70, or both thetoner bottle 70 and the sub-hopper 80 may rotationally move. Specifically, thetoner bottle 70 rotationally moves relative to the sub-hopper 80. - (3) In the exchange procedure of the
toner bottle 70 in the embodiment, thecover 72 rotationally moves relative to theshutter 74. However the configuration is not limited to this. For example, theshutter 74 may rotationally move relative to thecover 72, or both thecover 72 and theshutter 74 may rotationally move. Specifically, thecover 72 rotationally moves relative to theshutter 74. - In the embodiment of the present invention, a lock mechanism and a pair of guiding members are separately formed. A protrusion, a recess, and a first supply port are disposed along a virtual curve between the pair of guiding members. Thus, a first shutter is not fixed and guided by the same member. Accordingly, the stability of the opening and closing operation of the first shutter can be secured. Accordingly, the toner leakage from the first supply port can be effectively prevented when a toner bottle is exchanged.
- In the embodiment of the present invention, the first shutter can prevent the toner leakage by only partially covering a main body in an outer peripheral direction. Thus, the manufacturing cost of the first shutter can be reduced.
- In the embodiment of the present invention, when the first shutter is fixed by the lock mechanism, a fix end of the protrusion is at a position opposite to the first supply port with respect to the recess. Thus, when the first shutter is fixed by the lock mechanism, the toner leakage from the first supply port can be effectively prevented.
- In the embodiment of the present invention, when the first supply port and a second supply port are in an opened state, a seal unit covers a contact portion between the first shutter and a stopper. Thus, the toner supplied from the toner bottle can be prevented from entering a gap around the contact portion.
- In the embodiment of the present invention, an end portion of the seal unit can be prevented from being turned by friction force from the first shutter. Also, in the embodiment of the present invention, the end portion of the seal unit can be prevented from being turned by friction force from the stopper.
- Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.
Claims (12)
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
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JP2012-083813 | 2012-04-02 | ||
JP2012083813A JP5500199B2 (en) | 2012-04-02 | 2012-04-02 | Toner bottle, replenishment unit, and image forming apparatus |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20130259533A1 true US20130259533A1 (en) | 2013-10-03 |
US9164421B2 US9164421B2 (en) | 2015-10-20 |
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US13/842,748 Active US9164421B2 (en) | 2012-04-02 | 2013-03-15 | Toner bottle, supply unit, and image forming apparatus |
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US (1) | US9164421B2 (en) |
JP (1) | JP5500199B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN103365165B (en) |
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JP2016157099A (en) * | 2014-08-01 | 2016-09-01 | キヤノン株式会社 | Toner cartridge, toner supply mechanism, and shutter |
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JP6682284B2 (en) * | 2016-01-29 | 2020-04-15 | キヤノン株式会社 | Toner cartridge and toner supply mechanism |
JP6862948B2 (en) * | 2017-03-15 | 2021-04-21 | コニカミノルタ株式会社 | Toner replenishment device and image forming device |
KR20200025338A (en) | 2018-08-30 | 2020-03-10 | 휴렛-팩커드 디벨롭먼트 컴퍼니, 엘.피. | Structure for selectively locking toner inlet shutter of toner refill portion based on rotational phase of toner refill cartridge |
JP7147400B2 (en) | 2018-09-12 | 2022-10-05 | コニカミノルタ株式会社 | developer supply container |
JP7225768B2 (en) * | 2018-12-18 | 2023-02-21 | 富士フイルムビジネスイノベーション株式会社 | Storage container, mounting structure of storage container, image forming unit, image forming apparatus |
JP7289751B2 (en) * | 2019-07-31 | 2023-06-12 | キヤノン株式会社 | Developer supply container and developer supply system |
JP7517231B2 (en) | 2021-04-02 | 2024-07-17 | コニカミノルタ株式会社 | Toner storage container and image forming apparatus |
JP7517230B2 (en) | 2021-04-02 | 2024-07-17 | コニカミノルタ株式会社 | Image forming apparatus and toner storage container attachment/detachment method |
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JP2016157099A (en) * | 2014-08-01 | 2016-09-01 | キヤノン株式会社 | Toner cartridge, toner supply mechanism, and shutter |
US11609530B2 (en) | 2014-08-01 | 2023-03-21 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Toner cartridge, toner supplying mechanism and shutter |
US11650536B2 (en) | 2014-08-01 | 2023-05-16 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Toner cartridge, toner supplying mechanism and shutter |
US11703793B2 (en) | 2014-08-01 | 2023-07-18 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Toner cartridge, toner supplying mechanism and shutter |
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DE102017108994B4 (en) * | 2017-04-27 | 2020-11-12 | General Plastic Industrial Co., Ltd. | Toner cartridge and electronic imaging device |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CN103365165B (en) | 2018-04-13 |
JP5500199B2 (en) | 2014-05-21 |
CN103365165A (en) | 2013-10-23 |
JP2013213910A (en) | 2013-10-17 |
US9164421B2 (en) | 2015-10-20 |
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